Athens, GA Weather for Monday-Tuesday, August 28-29, 2017

Partly Cloudy Skies

High: 82°F

Low: 65°F

The high off the New England coast will keep things quiet here in North Georgia tomorrow afternoon. Image Credit: WPC NOAA

Conditions in Athens were near perfect and right on target for this time of year. This morning, Athens recorded an official low of 68°F. By the afternoon hours, temperatures halted their somewhat normal low 90s advance, topping off at 88°F, which is a degree below the normal 89°F for late August. While chances for wet weather are elsewhere in the Southeast, North Georgia looks to be in good shape thanks to our long term foe…or, friend in this case: the Wedge. Relief from the heat is here! Read below for more details in this evening’s post.

Quick Forecast

Monday: Partly cloudy skies with a northeast wind around 10-15 mph with gusts as high as 20 mph. High near 82°F.

Monday’s Forecast:

Overnight lows will dip down into the mid 60s. Image Credit: WxBell

Open your windows tonight! Cooler air continues to filter in thanks to the area of high pressure off the New England coast. Normally Wedge conditions make for nasty, dreary days with that questionable “is it raining or misting” water falling from the sky. However, in the warmer months, they provide excellent relief and much needed reminders that fall months are approaching.

Highs will only peek into the low 80s tomorrow afternoon. Image Credit: WxBell

By tomorrow afternoon, some intermittent cloud cover and cooler air will only allow temperatures to break into the low 80s. Enjoy the day and take some walks outside if you can!

Tuesday’s Forecast:

Put Monday on repeat! Tuesday morning brings similar overnight low temperatures, so you’ll be able to keep your windows open for a couple of nights. The afternoon will be a degree or two warmer, though. A possible afternoon shower or thunderstorm is possible, but the chance is not widespread and looks to be mainly confined to the northeastern part of the state along the South Carolina border.

Sneak Peek of the Week:

Temperatures will be fairly consistent for the week ahead, with a slight increase in overnight low temperatures after Tuesday. Image Credit: WxBell

What a nice week ahead! Models have Athens and North Georgia well below average in terms of high and low temperatures. If you’re a fan of open windows overnight, you can likely keep them open until Wednesday. After then, chances for rain return as humidity returns and some some upper level impulses make their way through the area. Our best chance for rain looks to be Thursday as a warm front surges north from the Gulf and brings higher levels of humidity.

Wednesday: Wakeup temperatures in the upper 60s. Chance for afternoon showers and a possible thunderstorm. Highs in the mid 80s.

Thursday: Wakeup temperatures in the upper 60s. Chance for afternoon showers and few thunderstorm. Highs in the mid 80s.

Friday: Wakeup temperatures in the mid/upper 60s. Chance for afternoon showers and possible thunderstorm. Highs in the mis 80s.

Tropical Update:

Hurricane Harvey made land fall Friday evening just as the sun was going down near Port Aransas, Texas. The hurricane, a storm known for strong winds, heavy rain, and tornadoes in certain sections of the storm, pounded the southeastern Texas coast throughout the night, creating a harrowing scenario for citizens in the area. Couple the storm with a lack of upper level winds to steer the system from the area, a feature found in most tropical systems after achieving the latitude of the United States, and the harrowing situation becomes a nightmare.

Interstates are underwater, people are hiding out in their attics if fortunate enough, and emergency management lines are jammed with pleas for safety after an estimated 9 trillion gallons of rain, enough water to fill the Great Salt Lake in Utah twice, continues to fall. Below is an estimated 72 hour rainfall total for the region.

While the rain continues to fall, any shred of relief won’t be recognized for a few more days, as the storm looks to sit over its current location in southeast Texas until Wednesday when some upper level winds chart its course to steer north and east towards Arkansas. Giving the lack of dynamics, this storm is on track to produce another two to three feet of rain by Wednesday, leading to further and likely loss of life. We continue to keep those affected in our thoughts and prayers.

Tropical Storm Harvey’s path seems rather stagnant for the next few days, bringing even more heavy rainfall to the already flooded region. Image Credit: National Hurricane Center

Michael is a graduate of the University of Georgia's Atmospheric Sciences program, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography with a certificate in Atmospheric Sciences in the spring of 2016. He served as the former President of the University of Georgia's local chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) during the 2014-2015 year and is currently an active member of the national American Meteorological Society. Michael participated in a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research program at the Pennsylvania State University. There, he used the numerical weather prediction model, Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF), to research chemical dispersion in the boundary layer. He is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree at the University of South Carolina under the supervision of Dr. April L. Hiscox. His research will focus on boundary layer meteorology and modeling atmospheric dispersion. Although Michael appreciates all kinds of weather, he holds a certain fascination with convective storms and numerical weather prediction.